BOSTON — When Westford artist Sudakahina Bhattacharya, known by her artist’s name SuWani, submitted her painting of the Boston Public Garden to GBH’s Community Canvas program, she wasn’t expecting it to go anywhere.
In fact, she almost didn’t apply at all.
“I always thought that I didn’t have the potential for somebody to select my art,” SuWani said.
The painting, “Boston Public Garden Serenade,” was recently selected for display on GBH’s Community Canvas. This public art initiative showcases local artwork on the organization’s Digital Mural, which overlooks the Massachusetts Turnpike in Boston.
SuWani said she had heard about the program before, but never seriously considered submitting her work. That changed after encouragement from fellow artist Gloria Oppen, whom she met during an exhibition at the Parish Center for the Arts.
“She came to me, and she said, ‘This painting has to be there. I want to see it there,” SuWani said.
After submitting the piece in late March, SuWani waited weeks without hearing anything. Then an email arrived informing her that the painting had been selected.
“I could not believe it,” SuWani said. “I was in a dream. Like, ‘it’s real? What’s going on?’”
The painting is a colorful tribute to one of Boston’s most recognizable landmarks. While the Public Garden’s famed swan boats serve as the centerpiece, SuWani said the work is ultimately about the “people who bring the space to life.”
“It’s not just the architecture,” she said. “It’s the people who make this place so lively.”
The painting, “Boston Public Garden Serenade,” is currently part of a solo exhibition at Emerson Hospital in Concord, on display until July 11.
Before beginning the painting, SuWani visited the Public Garden numerous times, studying the landscape and observing the visitors who filled the park. She photographed scenes and carefully considered how to best transfer that life-filled atmosphere to canvas.
The finished piece includes musicians, families, dog walkers, cyclists, balloon vendors and dozens of other figures enjoying the park.
“Every single person contributes to that whole entire happy scenery,” she said.
Sudakshina estimates that there are nearly 60 individual characters shown in the painting. She even added an artist in one corner, painting the same scene.
The response from viewers has been especially meaningful, SuWani said.
Many people have told her they recognize themselves in the artwork, recalling childhood visits to the Public Garden or family outings on the swan boats.
“They found themselves in the painting,” SuWani said.
The artwork was originally created several years ago after a gallery owner requested a large-scale Boston scene. Since then, it has been exhibited multiple times and was almost sold several times.
“Every time I took the painting out of my home, it brought me a little bit of fame,” she said.
Now, with her work displayed through GBH’s Community Canvas program, SuWani hopes viewers will experience the same joy and connection she felt while creating the painting.
For her, the Public Garden is more than a scenic landmark. It is a place where people from all walks of life come together and where many can find a piece of themselves reflected in the scene.
SuWani’s path to becoming an artist was not a traditional one. Before pursuing art professionally, she worked as a research scientist in India. She eventually left her scientific career after her infant son became seriously ill, forcing her family to make difficult decisions and relocate.
After arriving in the United States, she found support through local artists, open studios and community art organizations.
“I didn’t have any confidence,” she said. “I didn’t go to art school. I doubted, ‘Am I an artist or not?'”
Over time, encouragement from fellow artists helped her embrace her creative identity.
“All the lovely people here made me an artist,” SuWani said.
Her advice to aspiring artists is simple: keep creating and trust the process.
“Keep putting in honest effort until your inner voice says that even if the result is not in your favor, it will not be your loss,” she said.
Right now, SuWani is developing a series of paintings highlighting iconic locations throughout the Boston area. She said clients have requested works featuring landmarks and scenes from places including Quincy, the Old North Church, and the Longfellow Bridge.
Looking ahead, SuWani said she has also been invited to work with a New York gallery, an opportunity that will allow her to begin creating paintings inspired by New York City.
